Industrial Application Cases Of Homogeneous Catalysts

1. Synthesis of acetic acid by carbonylation of methanol
The synthesis reaction was promoted to industrialization in the 1970s, and it is another great achievement of homogeneous complex catalysis, reflecting the development of homogeneous catalysis. The important significance of this complex catalytic reaction is the non-petroleumization of the feedstock route. When the process was successfully developed, it coincided with the world's first oil crisis, the price of crude oil soared, and the shortage of oil resources prompted people to realize that energy and organic synthetic raw materials should not rely too much on oil, and should develop in a diversified direction.
2. Direct oxidation of ethylene to produce acetaldehyde
This is the Wacker process invented in the 1960s. It is one of the most outstanding achievements in the chemical industry. Its significance lies in the fact that transition metal-ethylene chemistry is the first to realize the industrially catalyzed oxidation reaction. Ethylene chemistry replaced the previous acetylene chemistry, which promoted the rise and development of petrochemical industry; secondly, it was indicated for the first time that noble metals can be economically used in domestic industrial production in homogeneous catalytic reactions, which promoted the research on transition metal complex catalysis .